No, the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense of 2013 does not compare favorably to those proud units of yesteryear. But as is often the case, one statistic doesn’t tell the whole story.

The Eagles, who play the Packers Sunday at Lambeau Field, have led the NFL in fewest yards allowed six times. Neale was head coach the first three times it happened (1944-45, 1949), while Trimble (1953), Vermeil (1981) and Ryan (1991) each ran the league’s tightest ship once.

Philadelphia has experience at the other end of the spectrum as well. Bert Bell’s outfit twice gave up the most yards (1937-38), and the 1971 team also bottomed out with two coaches when Ed Khayat replaced Jerry Williams, who was fired after an 0-3 start.

When doling out yards, first-year coach Chip Kelly’s defense resembles more the teams of Bell and Williams/Khayat than those of Neale or Ryan. It has given up more yards (3,774) than any other team.

The Eagles have been dinged for at least 325 yards every game this season in producing a 4-5 record. Twice they have surrendered more than 525 yards.

Unless someone stages an intervention, this team is on its way to an outlay of 6,709 yards. That would be the third most in NFL history behind the 7,042 of New Orleans in 2012 and the 6,793 of the 1981 Colts.

Philadelphia has given up the most passing yards (2,768) and ranks last in first downs allowed (219).

Taken together, those numbers suggest this flock cannot defend its nest.

But take a closer look. The Eagles’ defense has been stressed like no other. Opponents have run 672 plays, an average of 74.7 per game. That’s an average of three more plays than the next-nearest team, the Dolphins at 71.5.

Philadelphia’s high-powered offense doesn’t stay on the field long. The unit sees action on average for just 25 minutes, 6 seconds per game, easily the lowest time of possession in the league.

So for as long and as often as it plays, Philadelphia’s defense isn’t as bad as it looks. The unit has allowed an average of 5.6 yards per play, which is generous, yes, but 10 teams allow a higher rate.

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In points given up, the Eagles again are near bottom. The 231 they have allowed is more than only the Bills (236), Jaguars (264), Vikings (279) and Redskins (287).

But opponents have run more plays against Philadelphia than any other team. Taking that into consideration, the competition has had to gain 16.3 yards for every point it scores.

Only 10 teams have made their opponents work harder. Only one — the Chargers — has been better over their last three games than the Eagles.

Because the Eagles have given up so many passing yards — five quarterbacks have surpassed 300 — this likely would have been an ideal matchup for the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers. But with Seneca Wallace making his first start for Green Bay, Philadelphia will have an easier time defending the pass.

Should Green Bay look to run, it can expect some resistance. While far from dominant, the Eagles rank 14th in yards given up (111.8 per game) and 16th in average gain per attempt (4.1).